I absolutely LOVE products that are easy on the system and still work hard for your body. Personally, our front-line defense is essential oils, homeopathy, and herbal remedies. Maybe that doesn't work for you, and that's ok - but if it does, this announcement is for you!

We have used Earthley products in our home for several years now, and we love it! I am pleased to announce that we are now wholesale distributors with Earthley! You can check out their website here and order through me for a discount! They have everything from deodorants to salves to tinctures to creams to shampoo bars . . . even pregnancy and postpartum supplies like breast cream, belly butter, perineal sprays, magnesium lotion, tea, milk supply helps, bath soaks . . . I can't even tell you!

If you're having a problem in your pregnancy or postpartum, I can't help you medically, but I will refer you to several things to try; or if your doctor has prescribed magnesium or Vitamin D or something else and Earthley supplies it, I will direct you to them! As always, do your homework and be informed.

You can check out their FAQ here or shoot me an email or a Facebook message if you have any questions or want more information.

​Happy Doula Appreciation Month!

                Women today are far more support-less than our grandparents or maybe even our parents were. Thanks to urbanization and globalization, extended families often stretch across states (or even nations). It is now surprising (in a good way) to hear that the mother’s family or in-laws live in town (or even anywhere within a decent driving distance).

                Thanks to social media, there’s also more of a competitive side to motherhood. Moms often post only their best days, their most appealing Pinterest wins, and their more glamorous pictures of motherhood. It’s easy to fall into the comparison trap and feel more and more isolated, trapped, and alone in the midst of long growth days (you know the ones – when each minute seems to take just a bit longer than 60 seconds, when the kids can’t stop fighting, when hubby can’t get home fast enough because You’re. Just. Done.), Pinterest fail after Pinterest fail (you probably didn’t even take a picture of that one, did you?), and the messy grind of motherhood.

                So where do you go? To whom do you turn? What happens when you’ve been up all night with the crying baby and now she’s finally asleep but now the 2-year-old is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6 AM (before the sun, in the winter!) and you haven’t showered in like 5 days (actually, it’s only been 3, but it feels like forever ago) and you’re wearing the clothes you slept in (you did that on purpose, actually, because when do you have a spare moment to change?) and you don’t even look in the mirror when you run to the bathroom real quick – and don’t even think about finding the brush (I think the 5-year-old had it?) to brush your hair – that’s why you got the haircut anyway, right? – just throw it up into a messy bun and no one will ever know? Who can come help you clean the house (because you can’t even keep one room clean) and make sure the kids don’t kill themselves or each other or eat all the snacks in the pantry so you can just take a 30 minute nap to get through the rest of the day? If your mom doesn’t live just down the road, how do you figure out how to feed yourself (because the kids eat – they make sure you know when they’re hungry) and exercise and get enough water and enough sleep and all the things that you need to even feel human, much less take care of your body like you are constantly reminded that you should? And if your mother-in-law isn’t there to help you give baby his first bath or your mom can’t come and show you how to hold your baby to get her to finally stop crying (it was gas all along, right?), how in the world do you figure it out and stay sane?

That’s where I come in.

                I make my community better because I help moms discover who they are. I help them rock the mom life, figure out how to take care of themselves and their babies, and, like a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, turn into this creature of beauty and strength and power and femininity that they’ve had waiting inside them all this time. I connect them with their community, with resources, with knowledge. And when they find that they have wings and they can actually fly, I watch as the community grows stronger, as they offer their new-found gifts to others, and they raise a new generation of connectedness and support.

They say the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. That hand has a body, and that’s what I take care of.  And it is lovely to behold.

There are a couple of different kinds of doulas, and the scope of practice is different for each one.

A labor or birth doula accompanies a woman in labor, giving her physical and emotional support, as well as information and resources so she can make the best decision for her situation and care preferences.  This kind of doula can serve all women, whether that woman wants a natural birth, a scheduled induction, a scheduled c-section, an emergency induction or c-section, a vaginal delivery with all the pain medications that contemporary medicine offers, a home birth, a water birth, a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), a multiple birth, a birth center birth, or whatever.  All of these options can be served by a doula.

A postpartum doula serves the family (and particularly the mother) after a new child has entered the home.  This could be after a birth, or it could be a foster/adopt family with a recent infant placement.  This kind of doula helps the family as they transition - whether that is holding the baby while the mom takes a shower, being with the mom immediately after her partner returns to work, helping with light housecleaning or cooking, helping the mother process her birth experience, teaching the parents how to care for their newborn, providing resources for the family (whatever they may need), or providing childcare while the mother takes a nap.  It is all based on the needs of the client.

One of the services offered here at Woman to Woman is Extended Postpartum Doula Care (EPPC).  But what exactly does that mean?

Extended Postpartum Care is a service that is available to all doula clients.  For $20 a month (less than the cost of a doctor visit) or $200 a year (two months free), the doula is available for you to ask questions and get experienced answers.  Is this teething or should I take him to the doctor?  How do I introduce solids?  What can I do for this diaper rash?  Should I be concerned that my daughter isn't rolling/crawling/sitting up/walking yet?  What are parenting options besides spanking and/or time out?  Where else can I turn for support in my community?

Often parents (especially new parents) struggle with the care of an infant through his/her first year.  EPPC seeks to give you a place to turn for information and resources.  You know that your doula has your best interest at heart; she walked you through labor and the immediate postpartum period, giving you information and all of your options to give you an informed choice.  Now let her walk with you for your child's first year as you celebrate milestones, not only for your child but also for you as a parent.

When you first look at a doula's pricing, you might be surprised at how expensive the service seems. Here are some ideas to raise the funds for pay for the support a doula provides:

1.)  See if insurance will pay for it. Sometimes insurance will pay for a doula. This varies from provider to provider, but it certainly doesn't hurt to check! Talk to your doula about this option.

2.)  Make it a baby shower gift/purchase a gift card. Sometimes long-distance family will want to help with your birth, but won't know what you need. Allow them to pitch in to purchase a doula's services. This is especially a great option for subsequent births - often you feel like you don't really need anything physical (because you've already had a baby, so you already have all the baby things), and this option would still allow for the extended family to participate. You can simply encourage them to take the money they would spend on "stuff" and put it towards your doula's fee.

Some doulas offer gift cards - ask yours! Not every doula does, but that's ok; you can have those wanting to purchase the service for you send you the money and you can apply it to the fee when it's all collected. Alternatively, you can discuss this plan with your doula and see if she's willing to let you pay her as you receive money.

3.)  Have a garage/yard sale. Maybe you are decluttering as you're nesting and getting ready for baby. Put all that "stuff" to good use and have a garage sale! Take the money collecting from the sale and apply it towards your doula fee. If a full-on garage sale is too intimidating right now, consider consigning with a local consignment sale or selling items on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

4.)  Celebrate YOUR birthday. If you have friends/family who like to give you birthday gifts, ask them to donate to your doula fund. You'd be surprised at how many people are interested in doing something like this if you'd only ask.

5.)  Use a credit card. Many doulas accept all major credit cards, and some also accept PayPal Credit. Some of these may even offer a no-interest-if-paid-by option. Talk to your doula about payment options.

6.)  Use your blow money. Some financial/budget planners encourage people to budget "blow money" - discretionary income to be used however they want. Save up your blow money to cover most or all of your doula's fee.

7.)  Work out a payment plan. Many doulas offer payment plans. As a general rule, we want you to have access to our incredibly beneficial services, and we're willing to work with you on payments.  Just ask!

8.)  Use your HSA account. Many people have a Health Savings Account through insurance. You can use this as a normal credit card with your doula.